130 years of Crystal Creek Public School

CRYSTAL Creek Public School marked 130 years with celebrations for students, families, staff and the wider community.

Teacher Olly Hughes said it was a fantastic celebration of the broader school community and the school, which first opened in 1895.

“It’s been a while in the planning as our 125-year celebration was cancelled due to COVID, so we knew that we needed to make up for that,” Hughes said.

“We thought a movie night would be great for the kids, for the families, and we made it accessible and cheap so everyone could come, and it was a brilliant evening for everyone.”

The school also included a historical presentation with photos from the early 1900s, and vintage uniforms donated by former school families.

“We had artworks up, balloons, face painting, miniature animal petting zoo on the field, and our P&C provided a pretty good barbecue as well,” Hughes said.

Hughes has taught at the school for two and a half years and previously worked as a teacher’s aide.

“Before that, I was the general assistant, which is basically the gardener, so I’ve gone all the way through before becoming a teacher.

“I finished my master’s degree while I was here. I knew it was hard to get into small schools, and doing the gardens was my way in.”

He believes the opportunities in more intimate settings were valuable in education.

“We’re very focused on wellbeing, which leads into the community, and it sounds like a cliche, but we really do feel like one big family,” he said.

“Events like Friday left us empowered and fired up and proud of this little school and everything that we did.

“It’s the environment that we have that is the magic of small schools, and it’s a special dynamic that we provide at Crystal Creek.

“Friday was a testament to that; everyone came together as a community — it was a brilliant day.”